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BEFORE THE LEGEND...BEFORE THE ICON, HE WAS A TEENAGER GROWING UP IN....

SMALLVILLE

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON OF THE WB'S HIGH-FLYING TELEVISION SERIES MUSCLES
ITS WAY ONTO DVD
SEPTEMBER 23 FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO

BURBANK, CA. (June 24, 2003) - Whether they're on the big screen or the
small screen, comic book heroes have never been more popular, and to satisfy
millions of television viewers hooked on the latest twist on the DC Comics'
Superman mythology, Warner Home Video (WHV) will release Smallville: The
Complete First Season on DVD September 23, 2003. *The highest rated show on
The WB among people ages 12-34 and across all male demographics, Smallville
has consistently set ratings records, delivering double-digit growth across
all 12-34, 18-34 and 18-49 demos. The six-disc DVD collector's set contains
all 21 episodes from the first season, including the pilot episode, and is
priced at $64.92 SRP. *

The deluxe DVD collection of Smallville: The Complete First Season contains
super special features including audio commentaries on the pilot by
executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, as well as pilot director
David Nutter. *Another commentary with Gough and Millar appears on the
show's second episode entitled "Metamorphosis." Additional special features
include deleted scenes from two episodes, including the pilot, a storyboard
to screen featurette for the pilot, an interactive tour of Smallville,
English and French audio and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese
subtitles. A DVD-ROM link to smallville.net website also provides access to
additional bonus content.

The name Clark Kent is recognizable to generations of fans, but never before
has there been an interpretation of the Superman legend quite like
Smallville. Growing up in Smallville, Kansas, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is a
teenager who is slowly discovering his destiny as the champion of justice
who will one day be known the world over as Superman. Someday, he'll master
his powers and true calling, but for now he just has to get through
adolescence. With realistic portrayals and state-of-the-art special effects
reinterpreting the Superman mythology from its roots, Smallville was written
and developed by Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics
characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Smallville is produced
by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television Production Inc.

Since its debut on October 16, 2001, Smallville's viewership continues to
climb, having increased 14% from its first to second season. The
overwhelming popularity of Smallville has
translated into a successful licensing program that includes comic books, a
soundtrack, action figures, novelizations, trading cards, lunchboxes,
calendars, clothing and more. *

EPISODE SYNOPSES:
1.* * * * Pilot: Written by Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar; Directed by: David
Nutter. Clark Kent, who arrived from the planet Krypton in a meteor shower,
grows into a teenager, raised by his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha,
the only people who know his origin. *Clark's best friends are classmates
Pete Ross, Chloe Sullivan and Lana Lang, a popular cheerleader who doesn't
know that Clark loves her. *Lana dates Smallville High School's star
football quarterback, Whitney Fordman. *When Clark makes a lifesaving rescue
of Lex Luthor, head of Smallville Fertilizer Plant No. 3, Lex and Clark
forge an unlikely friendship. *Meanwhile, after emerging from a 12-year
coma, Jeremy Creek (Adrian Mcmorran), who was lashed to a stake as a prank
when the shower hit and now has the power to electrify things, seeks revenge
on Smallville High School until Clark foils him.
2.* * * * Metamorphosis: Written by Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar; Directed by:
Michael Watkins and Philip Sgriccia. Clark discovers that a fellow high
school student, Greg Arkin (Chad E. Donella), has been attacked by
Kryptonite-affected bugs. *Greg has taken on the "eat, molt, mate, die" life
cycle of an insect--with Lana as his prey. Clark must rush to save her
without revealing his superpowers. *Meanwhile, Lex possesses Lana's
Kryptonite necklace and ponders what to do with the strange stone.
3. *Hothead: Written by Greg Walker; Directed by: Greg Beeman. *Clark and
Lex defy their respective fathers. *Clark joins the football team, against
Jonathan's wishes, ultimately discovering that the coach, Walt Arnold (Dan
Lauria), has been altered by Kryptonite and is using fire-starting abilities
to hurt anyone who might prevent him from winning. *Meanwhile, Lex battles
his own father, Lionel Luthor (recurring guest star John Glover), for
control of LuthorCorp.
4. *X-Ray: *Written by Mark Verheiden; Directed by James Frawley. Clark
reels from his first flashes of x-ray vision. *His shock is compounded when
he witnesses a bank robbery, apparently by his friend, Lex. *Unsure of how
to control this new power, Clark nonetheless puts it to use when a
Smallville teen who has developed shape-shifting abilities threatens Lana.
5. Cool: Written by Michael Green; Directed by: Jim Contner. Clark has a
chance to share a night out on the town with Lana, thanks to Lex's
matchmaking, but the evening is interrupted when Clark faces an icy enemy,
Sean Kelvin (Michael Coristine). *Sean is an aggressive flirt who suffers
from a Kryptonite-induced case of permanent hypothermia and has to feed off
of others' body heat to survive--starting with Chloe.
6. Hourglass: Written by Doris Egan; Directed by Chris Long. Clark is
wracked by haunting visions when he meets an old woman, Cassandra Carpenter
(Jackie Burroughs), who can see the future. *Lex schemes to use Cassandra's
gift to glimpse his own destiny and learn more about Clark's secret.
Meanwhile, a released serial killer, Harry Bollston (George Murdock), who is
now a bitter old man in a nursing home, discovers a "fountain of youth" and
reverts to a teenager. *He then seeks revenge on the descendants of jurors
who put him in jail decades ago.
7. Craving: *Written by Michael Green; Directed by: Philip Sgriccia. Clark
must save Pete from being literally devoured by a female classmate, Jodi
Melville (Amy Adams), whose diet of Kryptonite-affected vegetables causes
her to shed weight faster than she can handle, forcing her to satisfy her
ravenous hunger by gorging on any available food source. *Meanwhile, Lex
gets one step closer to the truth about Clark after funding a study on the
green meteor fragments.
8. Jitters: *Written by Cherie Bennett &*Jeff Gottesfeld; Directed by
Michael Watkins.
Clark and Lex team up to rescue members of Clark's high school class after a
janitor, Earl Jenkins (Tony Todd), takes them hostage in LuthorCorp's
Smallville Fertilizer Plant No. 3. *Jenkins claims his deadly "jitters" were
caused by a mysterious contaminant, and he threatens to kill everyone unless
he is shown a secret sublevel--which Lionel Luthor (recurring guest star
John Glover) denies ever existed.
9.* * * * Rogue: *Written by Mark Verheiden; Directed by David Carson. Clark's
secret identity is jeopardized when a corrupt policeman, Sam Phelan (Cameron
Dye), witnesses Clark using his superhuman powers and coerces him into
joining forces. *However, when Clark double-crosses the cop, he is not
prepared to deal with the consequences for him and his family. Meanwhile,
Lex receives an intriguing proposal from his sexy British ex-girlfriend,
Victoria Hardwick (recurring guest star Kelly Brook).
10. Shimmer: Written by Michael Green &*Mark Verheiden; Directed by D.J.
Caruso. A teenage girl, Amy Palmer (Azura Skye ), lets her obsession with
Lex become life threatening as attacks in the Luthor mansion pit Clark
against an invisible enemy. *Meanwhile, Clark is thrilled when Lana seeks
his companionship after Whitney inexplicably rebuffs her.
11. Hug: *Written by Doris Egan; Directed by Chris Long. Clark is amazed
when a pesticide magnate, Bob Rickman (Rick Peters), who has enhanced powers
of persuasion due to the meteor fragments, somehow convinces Jonathan to
sell the family farm to make way for a new plant. *Clark teams with a local
hermit, Kyle Tippet (Gregory Sporleder), whose mysterious past holds the
secret to saving the town.
12. Leech: *Written by Tim Schlattmann; Directed by Greg Beeman. When Clark
rescues his classmate, Eric Summers (Shawn Ashmore), from harm during an
electrical storm, they are both struck by lightning--resulting in all of
Clark's superpowers being transferred to Eric. *While Eric relishes his new
life as "Superboy," he soon begins to abuse his new powers. *Clark's
happiness at finally being a "normal" teenager is tempered by his growing
concern for the town's safety. *Meanwhile, Lex confronts Clark, believing
that he has undeniable proof of Clark's superpowers.
13. Kinetic: *Written by Philip Levens; Directed by Robert Singer. Clark and
Lex are mystified when the Luthor mansion is robbed by burglars who seem to
have the ability to walk through walls. *Lex's curiosity becomes desperation
when he discovers that the thieves have stolen evidence of his secret
project. *Clark wonders if his father's suspicions that Lex is deceitful
have been correct.
14. Zero: Teleplay by Mark Verheiden; Story by Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar;
Directed by Michael Katleman. *Lex faces the consequences of a scandal from
his past in Metropolis when an old enemy comes to Smallville intent on
destroying Lex's life, putting Clark and Lana in danger. *While protecting
Lex, Clark must also prevent Chloe from investigating the mystery of Clark's
adoption.
15. Nicodemus: Teleplay by Michael Green; Story by Greg Walker; Directed by
James Marshall. *Clark must solve the riddle of the mysterious Nicodemus
flower and Lex's suspicious involvement with it. *The plant infects the
residents of Smallville, removing their inhibitions. Jonathan becomes lazy,
Lana tries to seduce Clark and Pete attempts to kill Lex. *The victims then
go into a deadly coma.
16. Stray: Written by Philip Levens; Directed by Paul Shapiro. After Martha
accidentally hits a young boy with her car, the Kents take him in until they
can locate his parents. *They are unaware that the boy can read minds and
has discovered the hidden thoughts of Lex, Lana, Jonathan and Martha,
putting Clark's secret in jeopardy. *Meanwhile, Lex must decide if he wants
to accept a job offer from his father, Lionel (recurring guest star John
Glover), which would entail moving back to Metropolis.
17. Reaper: Written by Cameron Litvack; Directed by: Terrence O'Hara. Clark
must stop a meteorite-infected man, Tyler Randall (Reynaldo Rosales), who
seeks to relieve the suffering of the elderly and sick by turning them into
ashes--with Whitney's ailing father his potential next victim. *Meanwhile,
Lex becomes furious after his father, Lionel (recurring guest star John
Glover), sends an investigator to scrutinize LuthorCorp's financial records,
revealing Lex's secret investigation into Clark and his parents.
18. Drone: Written by Michael Green &*Philip Levens; Directed by Michael
Katleman. Clark seeks election as class president, hoping for the
opportunity to be a normal kid. *However, when two of his opponents are
attacked by a swarm of bees, Clark suspects that one of the other candidates
is eliminating the competition--and Clark might be next on the list.
19. Crush: Written by Philip Levens &*Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar; Directed
by James Marshall. Clark confronts an unexpected foe when a talented art
student, Justin Gaines (Adam Brody), returns to school after being hit by a
car. *The accident robbed Justin of the use of his hands--but it left him
with the gift of telekinesis, and he uses the power for revenge against
those he considers responsible for his condition. *Meanwhile, after
observing Clark with Chloe, Lana becomes jealous and begins to question her
relationship with Whitney.
20. Obscura: Teleplay by Michael Green &*Mark Verheiden; Story by Greg
Walker; Directed by Terrence O'Hara. After witnessing an explosion near some
meteor fragments, Lana gains the ability to see through other people's eyes.
Clark and Lana race to find Chloe after Lana "watches" Chloe being kidnapped
and buried alive. *Meanwhile, Lex discovers evidence that a spaceship landed
in Smallville during the meteor shower.
21. Tempest: *Teleplay by Alfred Gough &*Miles Millar; Story byhilip
Levens; Directed by Greg Beeman. *As a massive tornado approaches the
unsuspecting Smallville, Clark finds a missing piece of the spaceship that
carried him to Earth. *The part activates the disabled craft, giving Clark
the first clue as to where he came from. *Meanwhile, Lex experiences two
disturbing events: *His father, Lionel (recurring guest star John Glover),
closes the plant and orders Lex to return to Metropolis, and the deceitful
reporter Lex hired to spy on the Kents discovers Clark's superhuman
abilities and the spaceship hidden in the storm cellar. *Members of the rock
band Remy Zero (themselves) perform their hit single "Save Me"--the
"Smallville" theme song--at the Smallville High School formal dance.

Nothing like bonding with your children over teen angst and cheesy dialogue. Seriously though, I got the Canadian DVD, and I'm definitely picking this one up. It'll go well with my collection of 2nd Season HDTV captures .

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Um...easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."
--Michael Scott, The Office

"When I get sad I just stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."
--Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

Ron, when I heard about the concept of the show, I thought it was gonna be stupid. I grew up as a deep fan of Superman: in the 80's/90's I subscribed to all 3 (and then 4) Supes comics, plus Justice League, etc.; not to mention watching every TV episode of the George Reeves show, the 4 Salkind film productions (plus S-Girl), Adv. of Lois & Clark, Superfriends...you get the idea.

I thought this Smallville concept sounded sappy and stupid. I decided that there had already been a GREAT version of "young Superman" in the syndicated Superboy series back in the late 80's. I decided to avoid Smallville at all costs.

Then my wife's best friend started raving about how good the show was, and even bought a TIVO player just to be certain she caught it. And I don't mean once or twice she talked about this show. She talked about it ALL THE TIME!!!

Then the Canadian disc came out, and Gord raved about how great it was.

So I caved in and got the Canadian disc for not too much money through Videoflicks (good service, painless, pretty fast...since then I've started using them for most of my Canadian needs).

I'll make a long story short by saying that, after having viewed that pilot and first episode, there are few people who are more excited than I am for this season set release.

Am I the only person who's completely underwhelmed by the season set announcement?

I have the Canadian disc, and it's obvious that a lot of effort went into producing it.

However, that disc contains all the extra features that are offered by the season set. It seems that Warner hasn't made any effort at all with the other twenty or so episodes. I'd have expected at least a couple more commentary tracks, some more deleted scenes, a season overview and, especially, 5.1 audio for all the episodes.

I like the series, and often admire its clever reinterpretation of the Superman story, but I'm not sure that the DVD set offers enough (especially to owners of the Canadian disc) to make it worth getting.

Just don't take it too seriously. It looks stupid, and sometimes it's fun to point out stuff MST3K-style. But underneath the show is good writing (Especially from Jeph Loeb, who worked on the comics a little); a storyline that is loosely based on the comics, with enough leeway to tell it's own story; some great acting from relative unknowns (Michael Rosenbaum and John Glover as Lex Luthor and his father Lionel are magnificent!); and a fresh concept of how a young Clark has to deal with it's powers.

On the other hand, it's incredibly cheesy. I mean, Bo Duke is Clark's dad. But hey, I love cheesy film, and this is better than 95% of the dreck on TV that's just plain bad. Plus, WB airs it in HD (albeit low-bitrate). They're airing reruns on Tuesday @ 9pm, and Sunday @ 5pm. I don't know if I'd buy the season set blind, but maybe go to VideoFlicks.com and get the pilot DVD cheap.

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Um...easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."
--Michael Scott, The Office

"When I get sad I just stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."
--Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

I'm snapping this up right away and I'd recommend the investment. The show can be cheesy at times and Season One is much more standalone most of the time than Season Two, but the writing and acting is top-notch, and each episode leaves you wanting more.

At first I also thought "Oh great, Superman's Creek." But, I gave it a shot and now it is one of my favorite shows. I was concerned about having Lex in Smallville. But, that is one of the best parts of the show. One thing I will warn you about. Is that a lot of the first season is Kryptonite monster of the week episodes. But, secondary arc stories keep you going. And make sure you watch all of the episodes in order. The show keeps with continuity and past events are brought up in future episodes.

Bring back John Doe! Or at least resolve the cliff-hanger with a 2hr movie or as an extra on a dvd release.